Enjoying impeccable roster continuity over the last couple of years, the Oklahoma City Thunder had to say goodbye to a few familiar faces this summer in a harsh reality check of the rigorous NBA cap-space rules. The harshest exit? Probably Lu Dort.
The Thunder traded Dort to the Atlanta Hawks for three future second-round picks. The 27-year-old had played his first seven seasons in OKC. In that time, he went from an undrafted two-way rookie to an All-Defense member and NBA champion. His improbable ascension aligned with the Thunder quickly going from a rebuild to historic dominance.
Playing in front of his home province of Quebec, Canada, Dort showed out in a 97-92 win over Argentina. He had 25 points on 8-of-13 shooting, two rebounds, two assists
and two steals. He shot 4-of-9 from 3 and 5-of-6 on free throws. The game was part of Canada's 2027 FIBA World Cup qualifier window.
Afterward, Dort talked about his new NBA home. He sounded excited to play alongside Nickeil Alexander-Walker — who was the 2025-26 Most Improved Player winner and is the cousin of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Both Hawks players suited up for Canada and combined for 51 points in their win over Argentina.
"It's amazing. Obviously, Nickeil is one of my closest friends. Played on the same team with Nickeil in high school and against him our whole life, obviously. When I got the call and I knew I was heading there, I hit him right away," Dort said. "I was really happy. He's helped me out throughout this whole transition and with their style of play. I'm glad that I got a guy like him on my team now."
Over a month after the Thunder traded Dort, the latter had the chance to fully digest everything that happened this summer. He enters a contract year as the Hawks hope to build off last year's second-half surge. Remains to be seen if he's penciled in as a starter, but Atlanta at least has another perimeter defender to throw at guys.
It's good to see Dort take a glass-half-full approach, though. By the end of OKC's NBA playoff run, the writing was on the wall that both sides likely needed fresh starts. The Thunder are ready to promote Cason Wallace as a full-time starter after his breakout year. Opening up a starting spot likely meant one of OKC's best developmental stories ever had to be moved.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Lu Dort opens up about getting traded to Hawks: 'It's amazing'
